Providing emergency assistance and supporting other vital services has led to the number of women volunteering at Victoria State Emergency Service (VicSES) leap from about 700 a decade ago to about 1,687 women in 2019.

The VicSES manager of regional operations and readiness, Craig Hooper, said there were a number of reasons for the increase in women volunteers.

“It’s attributed to the programs that we offer and the management of these units,” he said, “and recognising the skill sets that females bring to our organisation to lead our volunteer units.”

Across the decade, the number of women in leadership roles has nearly doubled to 107 — now making up about a quarter of all leaders in the organisation.

“The skill sets you gain with the State Emergency Service, they’re not just to be used through this organisation,” he said.